A professional footballer's career was short.
No matter how brilliant a player had been, retirement eventually brought a far more practical question.
What came next?
Plenty of former professionals had fallen into financial difficulty through poor investments, reckless spending, or simple misfortune.
Pelé was one of the most famous examples.
People often joked that without Nike, the Brazilian legend might eventually have been left with little more than his reputation. Instead, Nike helped turn the name Pelé into a global commercial brand, ensuring that his influence continued long after his playing days ended.
That alone demonstrated how dramatically life after retirement could differ even for football's greatest stars.
Zidane was another example.
He was one of the most recognisable players in world football, and during his years at Real Madrid, his image had already developed into something far greater than that of an ordinary footballer.
Even after retirement, supporters would remember him.
Zidane himself had become a brand.
New Manchester United now intended to do something similar for Redondo.
It was not about exploiting his name.
It was about preparing for his future.
If Redondo decided that coaching was not for him after retirement, he would still possess a stable public identity, commercial opportunities, and enough income to live comfortably without depending entirely on what he had earned as a player.
Redondo understood the logic immediately.
The Red Rebels had always tried to help their players manage their finances properly.
Even Olić, despite having already moved to Bayern Munich, still trusted the club enough to leave much of his family's financial planning in the hands of advisers recommended through New Manchester United.
That kind of trust did not appear overnight.
The players had seen that the club genuinely tried to protect their long-term interests.
However successful a footballer became, retirement eventually arrived.
At nearly thirty-four, Redondo had more reason than most to think about it.
"All right, Boss," he said without hesitation. "I'll do it."
The arrangement could only benefit him in the long term.
Ethan then left Mark and Gardner to discuss the details with him.
Because the role involved charitable work, Redondo would not receive an appearance fee from the foundation itself.
However, the position would give him opportunities to work alongside major corporate partners such as Vodafone, Audi, and Adidas.
Those relationships could lead to invitations, public appearances, commercial events, and other opportunities over time.
At the same time, New Manchester United's commercial department would use the charity programme to strengthen Redondo's public image.
The objective was to associate his name with dignity, social responsibility, and international charitable work.
It would require his cooperation.
But once that image became firmly established, the benefits could continue long after his playing career ended.
Ethan made one additional request.
He wanted Redondo to continue his part-time work with the academy.
And whenever he finally decided to retire, Ethan hoped he would remain connected to the club as an ambassador.
Redondo agreed readily.
He was not the kind of man who forgot kindness.
If the club was thinking about his future, he would do what he could to repay that loyalty.
Afterwards, Redondo contacted his agent.
The agent held several detailed discussions with New Manchester United before both sides finalised the arrangement.
Ten days later, a formal press conference was held in Manchester.
Representatives from UNICEF attended personally and announced a partnership with the Red Rebel Foundation.
Fernando Redondo was named a goodwill ambassador.
Whenever his training and match commitments allowed, he would take part in charitable activities around the world, using his profile to encourage wider involvement in humanitarian causes.
Ethan, representing the Red Rebel Foundation, also announced a series of joint projects involving UNICEF and several corporate partners.
The main focus would remain poorer communities in Africa and South America.
When reporters asked Redondo about the appointment, he described it as an honour.
"If my name can encourage even a few more people to help, then I'm happy to do it."
One journalist asked whether the additional responsibilities might interfere with his football.
Redondo smiled and shook his head.
"Right now, I'm still a professional footballer.
"Football comes first.
"But when I retire, I would be very happy to devote much more of my time to charitable work."
Behind the scenes, the commercial department's long-term plans for Redondo began moving forward.
...
After the exhausting Christmas period, New Manchester United finally entered a more manageable stretch of the season.
From late January into early February, the schedule eased considerably.
Their elimination from the League Cup also gave the squad more breathing room.
For the first time in months, Mourinho could prepare for league and FA Cup matches without constantly worrying about another fixture three days later.
The Red Rebels' opponents in the fifth round of the FA Cup were Coventry City.
Coventry were also in League One, but their season had been miserable.
They were trapped near the bottom of the table and fully occupied with trying to avoid relegation.
The FA Cup was therefore a secondary concern.
They fielded a heavily rotated side.
Mourinho did much the same.
Redondo began on the bench and came on at half-time.
His performances were steadily improving.
A handful of substitute appearances in league matches had helped restore some match sharpness, and against Coventry he looked noticeably more comfortable.
During the entire second half, he was arguably New Manchester United's best player.
The Red Rebels won 2-0 away from home.
Redondo still had not scored since returning, and every appearance remained carefully limited.
Yet each time he played, he looked better.
Some supporters were already calling for Mourinho to start him.
The club refused to be drawn into that enthusiasm.
Redondo had returned from a serious knee injury.
The danger had not vanished simply because he could now complete thirty minutes comfortably.
Mourinho remained extremely cautious.
Redondo himself understood.
He could feel his game returning little by little and was satisfied with the progress.
There was no reason to risk everything simply to satisfy outside excitement.
...
League One remained far less comfortable.
Portsmouth continued to push the Red Rebels relentlessly.
The two clubs were level on points, with New Manchester United holding first place only because of their superior goal difference.
Then attention shifted back to Europe.
The Red Rebels were due to face Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup last sixteen.
Because the European fixture clashed with the domestic calendar, New Manchester United's league match was moved to the following Tuesday.
Portsmouth took advantage.
They won again and moved three points clear, albeit having played one match more.
The pressure immediately increased.
And now the Red Rebels had to travel to Prague.
Mourinho prepared meticulously.
With the away leg first and the return match at Old Trafford, New Manchester United had been given the more favourable order.
Even so, he refused to take anything for granted.
He selected a full-strength side and set the team up to defend compactly before counter-attacking.
Many English newspapers had described Slavia Prague as the weakest club remaining in the competition.
The Czech press, amusingly, had said exactly the same thing about New Manchester United.
From their perspective, a club from England's second tier represented the most favourable draw available.
Slavia entered the match full of confidence.
They believed that if they could establish a decisive advantage at home, the tie might be settled before the trip to Manchester.
From the opening whistle, they attacked aggressively.
The Red Rebels, by contrast, looked distracted.
Portsmouth's victory and the loss of top spot clearly remained in the back of several players' minds.
For the opening stages, Slavia completely controlled the match.
Then New Manchester United made a defensive mistake.
Slavia scored.
The home crowd erupted.
The goal only increased the Czech side's confidence.
Their manager repeatedly urged his players forward, demanding that they use the momentum of the crowd to overwhelm the visitors.
What he had failed to appreciate was that the Red Rebels were dangerous in two very different circumstances.
When they gathered momentum, they could tear opponents apart.
But when pushed into adversity, something equally dangerous often emerged.
They became angry.
At half-time, Mourinho made sure of it.
He tore into the players inside the dressing room.
"This is the UEFA Cup.
"The league does not exist tonight.
"Portsmouth does not exist tonight.
"You came here to play Slavia Prague.
"If you lose because your minds are somewhere else, then every minute we have spent fighting through Europe this season has been wasted."
The message was unmistakable.
New Manchester United emerged for the second half with a completely different intensity.
Slavia, however, remained convinced that the same aggressive approach that had worked before the break would continue working.
In the fifty-sixth minute, they paid for that confidence.
The Red Rebels won a free kick in a dangerous position.
Juninho stepped forward.
One strike.
Goal.
1-1.
Another magnificent direct free kick.
And a reminder that New Manchester United were not going away quietly.
From there, the match became increasingly open.
Slavia continued committing men forward.
That placed pressure on the Red Rebels' defence.
But it also created enormous space behind the Czech back line.
Robben and Hleb began finding room to counter.
Then, in the seventy-ninth minute, Senna won the ball and moved it quickly to Juninho.
The Brazilian looked up and immediately sent a long pass forward.
Drogba controlled it on his chest.
A defender closed him down.
Drogba turned cleverly and slipped a diagonal pass towards the right side of the penalty area.
Hleb arrived at exactly the right moment.
One touch.
Then a low finish inside the near post.
1-2.
New Manchester United had turned the match around.
Mourinho reacted immediately.
He made defensive substitutions and ordered the team to protect the lead.
There would be no unnecessary heroics.
The Red Rebels saw out the remaining minutes and returned to Manchester with a valuable away victory.
Their chances of reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-finals had suddenly become excellent.
Most observers believed that defeating Slavia at Old Trafford should now be well within their capabilities.
...
The problem was the league match in between.
To prepare for the second leg, Mourinho rotated heavily against Preston in midweek.
The players worked hard, but the fluency was not there.
The match finished 0-0.
That result allowed Portsmouth to move properly clear at the top.
For the first time in months, New Manchester United were no longer leading League One.
The criticism came immediately.
Several newspapers questioned Mourinho's priorities.
Why, they asked, was a newly promoted club risking its promotion campaign for a UEFA Cup run?
Shouldn't League One come first?
Mourinho responded in characteristic fashion.
Instead of lowering expectations, he raised them.
"We can win the UEFA Cup."
The reporters stared at him.
Mourinho did not smile.
"I believe that.
"My team is strong enough.
"We have already proved that we can compete against clubs from major European leagues.
"If we continue playing at our level, then yes, we are capable of winning this competition."
The declaration caused an immediate stir.
A League One manager openly talking about winning the UEFA Cup sounded absurd.
Then New Manchester United responded on the pitch.
At Old Trafford, the Red Rebels defeated Slavia Prague 2-0.
Comfortably.
Professionally.
Without ever allowing the tie to become dangerous.
They were through to the quarter-finals.
Only then did many English journalists suddenly realise just how far the Red Rebels had come.
The supposed novelty act from League One was now one of the last eight clubs remaining in the UEFA Cup.
Leeds United, once considered one of England's strongest hopes in the competition, had already been eliminated.
Liverpool were also knocked out in the last sixteen, falling to Auxerre.
That left eight clubs.
Only one was English.
New Manchester United.
Meanwhile, England's Champions League campaign was hardly flourishing either.
Manchester United had secured qualification from their group.
Newcastle and Arsenal, however, were both in serious trouble, with their chances of progressing looking increasingly uncertain.
If both were eliminated, England could soon find itself represented in European competition by only two clubs.
Manchester United in the Champions League.
And the Red Rebels in the UEFA Cup.
For a club playing in League One, that was becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss as a fluke.
(To be continued.)
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